The Wind Under the Dragon's Wings
by Rhys Sheildhearth
Summary: Duncan Blackhearth is the best thief in Skyrim but when a mission to Helgen goes awry he finds himself helping a girl that he just met fulfill a destiny he barely understands. But as the trials grow greater fate calls him to be more than a thief, and a woman calls him to be more than a friend.
1. Chapter 1

**(Disclaimer: I don't own the Elder Scrolls series or their characters)**

**Prologue **

The dreams came as they did every night, with a sudden jolt I found myself in a tunnel of sorts with a figure bathed in light at the one end and darkness on the other end which was slowly consuming the rest of the tunnel. With a start I ran for the light lest the darkness consume me, as I drew closer I could make out the the source of the light was a woman. The darkness however was gaining on me fast but as I drew closer I noticed something I never had before in the countless times I experienced this dream, the woman opened her eyes to reveal startling emerald eyes that bore into my soul. Before I could get closer however that darkness did what it did every time I had this dream, it consumed me.

I awoke in a cold sweat, and slowly rose from my bed to inspect my surroundings, this was definitely the inn in Riverwood. It would take a few hours before I reached Helgen to steal a chalice from one of the families in the village. I silently cursed Mercer for sending me on this assignment, he knows how much I despise Falkreath and said that I will never set foot in that town and he is trying to get me as close as possible to it just to annoy me. We never did get along, not since Gallus died. It was probably because I am the only one in the guild who doesn't believe his story about Karliah killing Gallus in cold blood. They loved each other and I can scarcely believe that she would have done anything to hurt him. Needless to say Mercer didn't take to kindly to me questioning him and I can only hazard a guess that the only reason I am still in the guild is because I am one of the best thief in the place and because I am just too well loved by my fellow guild mates. OK, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch.

My little reverie however was ended by the inn keeper asking me if I was done using the room. "Sure, I was just passing through Riverwood anyway" I said with a polite smile. "Then I suggest you be on your way" she said with a hint of mistrust in her voice. I sighed reluctantly and made my way towards Helgen.

**Chapter 1**

**Where Duncan tries to play the hero**

Other than the occasional wolf my walk towards Helgen was rather uneventful though that quickly changed once I got there. The entire town was swarming with Imperial soldiers all on high alert as if they were expecting something big to go down. I couldn't guess what all this was about until I spotted several wagons rolling into town filled with stormcloak soldiers. My attention however was caught by the last cart that carried Ulfric Stormclak, a regular soldier, what looked like a very poor thief, and a nord woman in tattered clothes. Despite all of the dirt on her she looked beautiful; she had auburn hair that went to her shoulders, despite the tattered clothes she had a impressive figure, and much to my surprise startling emerald eyes that looked like they came straight out of his dream. As I looked at where they were taking her my eyes filled with horror as I saw the headsman's block. They were going to kill her! She didn't have the look of a soldier or a spy, she didn't even look like a thief. I silently prayed to the gods that they would spare her and as they began calling out names of the people on the cart my mind was racing trying to decide weather or not I should intervene. Though I was confident in my combat abilities, there were too many imperials to make fighting a viable option. So I had to come up with a better option.

"Who are you?" the nord imperial said as he looked at the woman curiously. "My name is Katlyn Stormfury and I have done nothing wrong!" she said. The man look conflicted and asked his superior officer "captain what should we do she is not on the list?" The captain a small imperial woman in comically oversized steel armored looked like a spoiled child with a new toy and said "forget the list she goes to the block!"

By this point I had enough and decided if my blade can't get this women named Katlyn out of this than perhaps my tongue can. "Stop this madness at once!" I shouted gaining the looks of all of the eyes in the village. "Where is the Emperor's justice! This woman has done nothing wrong, and yet you're putting her to death without so much of a trial!" the captain looked like she could explode with rage at any moment but I kept on with my speech. "She is obviously not a rebel and crossing the border is not a capital offense! She looks like she got attacked by bandits, but instead of helping her you're putting her to death? Every one of you swore an oath to uphold the laws of the empire, do those mean so little that you are willing to cast them away without a second thought? So I ask you all again where is the Emperor's justice because right now I certainly don't see it here!"

the town was silent after my speech however my little mental victory was delayed when the furious captain shouted "He goes to the block too!". I looked over at Tullius but he was stoic and silent on the matter, and the crowed seemed equally so. My hands went to my belt and the handles of my steel short-swords but at the same instance the guards had arrows pointed right at me. Knowing I could not win this one I raised my hands in defeat as the captain grabbed my weapons a look of victory on her face. I looked over at the nord soldier who was standing next to the captain earlier and said "My name is Duncan Blackhearth, and I don't have a hold that I belong to so can you promise me to take my ashes and throw them into the sea when I'm dead?" He gave a nod and said "By my honor I will see that your remains are taken car of." "Good, and to the rest of you who remained silent during this whole ordeal make no mistake I will be haunting your dreams for the rest of your pathetic lives." I said my voice fill with venom. Just then a loud roar echoed through the valley, I knew of nothing on this plane that could have made such a noise and by the look on everyone's faces neither had they.

Tullius was the first one to break the silence that followed the strange noise "It's nothing, carry on." The captain then motioned over to the priest who was standing by the headsman and said "Give them their last rights." As the priest began to recite our final blessings but was cut off by a stormcloak shouting "For the love of Talos shut up and lets get this over with" as his head was placed on the block he said "My ancestors are smiling at me imperials. Can you say the same?" His life was then cut short by the ax coming down on his head. Ralof who was standing next to me muttered "As fearless in death as he was in life." The captain then shouted "Next the Nord woman in the rags!" As she finished her sentence the same noise echoed again only this time it was a lot closer. Katlyn then began to approach the block as my mind raced to find some way to save both of us, and as her head was placed on the block I knew what I had to do. I silently thanked the gods that they didn't have the time to bind my hands, and finish searching me for weapons as I reached into my belt and produced two throwing knives. With deadly accuracy the blades found their marks on the imperial captain and the headsman who both fell with a grunt of pain. My plan was derailed however with the approach of a monstrous black creature with wings that could only be one thing, a dragon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Where all hell breaks loose**

A Dragon? Of all the things the gods had to send to get me out of this mess why did it have to be a dragon? Couldn't the gods makes Tullius have a change of heart or something like that? Regardless now was not the time to really be picky especially when the dragon let out a roar that called flaming death to rain down from the sky. So, wasting no time at all I ran towards the body of the captain that I had killed moments before and retrieved my throwing knives and my dual short-swords as Ralof got Katlyn to her feet. Then all three of us made a mad dash to the nearby tower as the giant black dragon set about destroying the entire town. Once we were in the tower Ralof looked to Ulfric and said Looking over at his officer the Jarl simply stated While this was going on however I did the sensible thing and cut Katlyn's bindings and said She looked at me and said she still looked dazed and in all probability still in shock from the traumatic experience of nearly being executed, and having a giant dragon attack you. She then looked at me and looking abashed said With a small smile I said She gave a small rather cute laugh at that and said Our little banter however was ended by Ulfric shouting followed by Ralof motioning towards the stairs. However right before we reached the second story of the tower the dragons head burst through the wall as it sent a jet of flame into the building, causing all of us to jump back in surprise, and causing Katlyn to trip and fall. In a motion of pure instinct my hand shot out to grab her as I turned my back to shield her from the flames. Setting her back on her feet I said She, however was less amused by that and as soon as I set her down she punched my shoulder. As the dragon left to continue it's rampage through Helgen Ralof pointed to the building that had a collapsed roof and said Without a chance to think about how absurd this was me and Katlyn both jumped into the second story of the inn barely missing the flames. As soon as we reached the ground floor we found the imperial soldier I had asked to take care of my ashes as he was attempting to get a child away from a man presumably his father who was bleeding out on the ground. He then looked towards the old man and said Gunnar looked at the man and said The newly named Hadvar looked at us and said I gave his a small smile and said He gave a slight nod and Together with Hadvar we ran through the burning village nearly avoiding fireballs, and run ins with the actual dragon, and everything was going surprisingly well until we reached the keep where we ran into Ralof. With anger in his voice Hadvar shouted Ralof shouted back. A mixture of anger and annoyance in his voice said Then both of them grabbed one of Katlyn's arms wanting her to join one of them. Really I thought they should have put aside their differences because I'm pretty sure the giant fucking dragon doesn't really care what side of the war they support, but it seems common sense is in short supply these days. So Katlyn making the only other sensible choice chose to go with Ralof because the stormcloaks were not trying to chop her head off earlier. So with that matter settled we ran into the keep with Ralof to escape from the dragon outside.

**(AN: next chapter will be from Katlyn's point of view and will fully describe the appearance and race of Duncan. My plan is to start Katlyn off small and as the story develops she will become a badass warrior. I know the chapters might be a little on the short side but as I continue writing I hope to start making longer chapters.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Katlyn kills a man**

**(Katlyn's POV)**

It seems some issues even a dragon can't bury. Who would have thought that the imperials and stormcloaks would still continue to bicker and fight even though there is a greater threat destroying them? Regardless Ralof was probably my best choice if I want to get out of this with my head. The man named Duncan probably came to the same conclusion and that why he followed us in. Looking at Ralof though it seems he has mixed views on the man, the distrust in his eyes is very plain, making clear that he want's Duncan to know he doesn't trust him. I can't imagine why though?

After saying a few words to one of his dead stormcloak allies he gestured towards me and said Thankfully both Ralof and Duncan respectfully turned away as I donned the dead man It's a stormcloak! Get her!I take it you have never fought with a weapon beforeNoHere maybe a sword might work better for you is a quick fighting lesson, when someone is attacking you, you hold the sword like so and then stick em with the pointy em with the pointy you alright?I fine!Maybe we can use their dead have not need for gold or their weapons, better they be put to good use instead of rusting away.s when Ralof noticed a dead mage in one of the cages with a sack of gold coins next to him, that is when Duncan produced a lock-pick and broke into the cage and tossed me the bag of gold coins. With new reinforcements in tow we made our way into a cave system and fought even more imperial guards. That is where the two stormcloaks left us to wait for the Jarl though I personally thought that if he has not escaped by now he was probably killed by the dragon, and didn't say that though because I didn't want to upset an of the stormcloaks who were helping me escape. Going deeper into the cave we began to run into spiders which prompted Duncan to produce his bow and along with Ralof dispatched all of the giant arachnids. That is when we ran into the cave bear; it was sleeping next to the exit of the tunnel and Ralof whispered Duncan still held his bow with an arrow trained on the bear and moved like a shadow around it. I did my best to follow after Duncan until I stubbed my toe on a rock and let out a curse but before the cave bear could bare it's fangs Duncan began pelting it with arrows and by the second one it was down. After that Duncan produced a knife and began to skin the bear while Ralof and I scouted ahead and found the exit of the cave, a few moments later Duncan appeared once again his new bear pelt in tow.

After we made it outside the dragon flew past us presumably on it's way north. After scanning the surrounding area Ralof said With that said we proceeded down the path all the while Ralof was trying to convince me to join the stormcloaks. I said but said no more on the subject. Eventually we reached a set of stones that Ralof called the guardian stones, He then motioned both of us to pick one. However Duncan said Ralof looked at him and asked With a smile Duncan replied That seemed to shut Ralof up but his eyes were still on me. Not knowing what to pick I decided to go for the warrior stone as he looked at me approvingly. However Ralof and Duncan's exchange revealed something as I turned towards them I asked He gave me a bemused look and said and with a flourish he bowed and continued Ralof was the first to speak to which Duncan replied I couldn't help myself and started to laugh at their constant bickering and said The two didn't talk to each other very much after that but I could tell that underneath all of their bickering the two actually had some respect for the other; though I knew neither of them would admit that. We arrived in Riverwood around mid afternoon, Ralof led us to his sisters mill and when she saw Ralof she said she was cut off by Ralof saying Noticing me for the first time she said I noticed that when she looked at Duncan she didn't say anything to him but simply gave him a glare. Before I could answer Ralof said I said. At the mention of his name Duncan just gave me a sad smile and said I said as I handed him my satchel. Ralof, Gerdur, and her husband Hodd looked at me like I had just done something crazy. After a moment Ralof began recounting our journey from Helgen to here to his sister, all in all it made for an interesting tale, if unbelievable. Gerdur however seemed to believe every word and said After that Hodd showed us to their house where Gerdur produced a simple green dress and gave it to me to change into. After that I proceeded to where the town blacksmith was to find Duncan finishing selling the last extraneous items they both had and with the money bought various smithing supplies. I said Duncan replied and after looking me over he said It took the rest of the afternoon but together with Alvor Duncan made me a set of Iron armor with shoulder guards and a steel sword along with a iron shield he bought from Alvor.

I said. he said with a grunt as he was carrying both the armor and our bags. When we reached the Sleeping Giant Inn the innkeeper informed us that she only had one room available, and with a sigh Duncan paid for the night. After we set our bags in the room Duncan produced a bag of gold and handed it to me saying that this was the money we had made from selling the weapons and bits of armor from the soldiers and that the armor was paid for entirely by him though I could tell that even he wasn't sure why he did it. I said with a amused grin. With a sigh he set his things on the ground and said With that we separated for the night, Duncan went over to the bar and ordered himself some food and mead while I went to Gerdur's house and had dinner with them; between the two of us I think he was luckier because as soon as I was in the door I was bombarded with questions by Ralof's nephew and the boy's parents. While I was trying to skirt around questions about my relationship with Ralof and the stormcloaks I imagined Duncan sitting at the bar with no one bothering him while the bard serenaded the patrons. However the meal was nice and Ralof's family was very friendly towards me, but as much as Gerdur protested that they had plenty of room in the house for me to spend the night I finally made it back to the room at the inn to find that Duncan was nowhere to be found, his stuff was still their so I didn't think that he ran off. It was about that time that the exhaustion of the day finally caught up with me and after dressing into my small clothes that were provide by Gerdur I fell into bed and drifted off into sleep. It was then that the nightmare came and I was back in the storeroom with my blade in the chest of that soldier as his eyes stared back a me in shock his eyes filled with accusation and as blood poured from his mouth he said It didn't stop with him though as he father materialized before me. This wasn't the proud man she had know as a child though, this was a man who looked broken and disheveled. he said with a haunting voice. I awoke in a cold sweat but the waking world wasn't much better because I now had to contend with my thoughts. I killed him, he was just doing his job and I killed him. He probably had family and friends who relied on him and loved him, and who do I have? Nobody, no one would care if I lived or died, so what right did I have to take that man's life. I probably looked very pitiable right about now curled up in a ball sobbing my eyes out but that is how Duncan found me. He burst into the room saying at the sight of me his eyes were filled with compassion but I would have none of that from that man who took so much life today yet was unfazed, even if he did save my life. he said. I shouldn't have been angry at him but I was, He looked at her with eyes filled with sadness but his face showed nothing. He then sat down next to me on the bed and said he let out a sigh and continued As he finished I broke down and held him, I was ashamed at how weak I was acting in front of him but I didn't care. He seemed surprised but quickly embraced me back. We were there in each others arms for a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

** In which Duncan and Katlyn make new friends in Whiterun **

(AN: During this chapter I will be trying out third person mode just to see how it feels and then after I will decide weather I will go back to first person or not)

It was approximately twelve by the time Katlyn woke up, ordinarily she would never have slept in that late but the exhaustion from the previous day and the sleepless nights during her arrival had completely thrown off her natural rhythm. As she began to sit up on the bed she became aware of the man laying next to her on the bed. This surprising development had been such a shock that she fell off the side of the bed in an attempt to get away from the awkward situation of waking up in a unfamiliar bed next to someone you barely knew. Upon closer inspection the man in the bed was in fact Duncan as the events of the previous night became clear to her. Getting closer to the man revealed a look of pain from a nightmare that was plaguing him. As if aware of this sudden scrutiny Duncan awoke to find his face very close to Katlyn's. Realizing how close she was to the man Katlyn jumped back, her face changing from very pale to very red in a matter of moments. Duncan's face was filled with amusement at Katlyn's sudden embarrassment "You fell asleep while leaning on me and it seemed rude to wake you after that." his hand were held up in an act of innocence as he finished speaking. Trying desperately to change the subject Katlyn said "You looked like you were having a nightmare, what were you dreaming about?" Duncan's eyes grew distant and for one moment his mask was gone and Katlyn saw a grimace appear on the mans face, but as quickly as the mask had dissipated it was back on as Duncan tried to change the subject now. "It's nothing; we should probably head over to Whiterun if we're going to reach it before it gets dark." he said in a friendly tone trying to cover up that what had just happened. Katlyn narrowed her eyes at him and said "Yeah.. We should probably head out quickly. Wait outside the room while I change into my armor." Without a word Duncan moved outside the room and snatched an apple to munch on while Katlyn changed. By some manner of luck Katlyn managed to get her armor on just in time to see Duncan trying to settle a disagreement between a bosmer and a nord. "Stay out of this, it is none of your concerns and besides Camilla is mine not yours elf!" the nord retaliated "Why would a woman of Camillas caliber fall for a brutish nord like you Sven! She obviously belongs to me." the bosmer shot back. "She doesn't belong to either of you, she is not an object so both of you milk drinkers can shut up, you both sound like bitches in heat." Duncan said his barely contained annoyance starting to show on his complexion. "Nobody asked you!" they said in unison. Before Duncan could throw a punch however Katlyn appeared by his side and held his wrist. With a small amount of effort she managed to drag him out of the inn and together they said goodbye to Ralof and his family before finally heading down the road towards Whiterun. When the silence of they're travel became too much Katlyn asked "Why do you wear that armor if it means people immediately point you out as a thief?" Duncan gave a small laugh as if expecting this question would eventually be asked. "Just because I wear this armor does not mean I am a thief, and without probable cause the guards can not arrest me, however the knowledge that I am a thief lulls them into a false sense of security because they know what I do and they think they can guard themselves against it and thus they are all the easier to fool. It makes them think they hold the upper hand when in reality I still hold all of the cards. Secondly this armor is enchanted to assist me in the various tools of my trade. Plus it draws those people who want my services to me, you see a good thief is skilled and executes the job his guild gives him, a great thief is a master who completes the jobs for the guild and for himself on the side." That answer satisfied Katlyn and got them to the meadery outside Whiterun. Katlyn gasped at the sight of the large walls which surrounded the large city, Duncan didn't think it was all that impressive and could probably scale the wall with his grappling hook. Both of their thoughts were derailed when they heard sounds of fighting from the nearby yard and without hesitation ran to see what was going on. When they reached the field they found three warriors, two female, and one male fighting a giant. The dark haired nord male swung a great-sword trying to knock the giant off of it's feet while avoiding the blows of the giant hammer while the nord woman peppered it with arrows and the female imperial tried to flank it. With her shield and sword out Katlyn tried to assist the dark haired nord when Duncan did something that seemed insane. With both of his short-swords drawn he ran behind the giant and leaped onto the giants back plunging both of his blades between the giant's ribcage and throwing all of his weight on it performing a midair full body tackle. The giant was staggered and without missing the opportunity both of the two sword wielders swept the giant's legs out from under it as it fell unceremoniously to the ground where Katlyn plunged her blade into the giant's head. After the battle the nord woman approached us and said "You both handle yourselves well in a fight. You both would be decent shield siblings." Curiosity got the better of Katlyn and she asked "Shield siblings" the woman seemed surprised by that but answered her question none the less "An outsider. Never heard of the Companions? We are an order of warriors and we show up to solve problems if the coin is good enough. Regardless my name is Aela, that's Farkas, and that is Ria." "It's nice to meet you; my name is Katlyn, and that man over there is Duncan." she said gesturing towards Duncan while the man was standing there looking at the group of warriors with an expression that made it seem like he knew some dark secret about them. _"What is he thinking about."_ Katlyn wondered _"He probably knows more about this order than I do but they seem nice enough so I can't see what is wrong with them if they are like the fighters guild back home."_ Aela spoke up "If your interested in joining us head on up to Jorrvaskr and speak to Kodlack the old man has a good eye." and with that she and the rest of the Companions left for Whiterun. "So I take it you're familiar with the Companions then Duncan." "Yeah, they are very well known in Skyrim. They are basically Skyrim's version of the fighters guild or it would be more appropriate to say that the fighters guild is the rest of Tamriel's version of the Companions since they go back Ysgramor's Five Hundred. I would recommend that you take her up on the offer and join them, they can teach you more about fighting than I can." "Let's worry about that later. We should warn the Jarl about the dragon attack so that Riverwood can be safe." "Alright then the entrance to the city is just up ahead so if we hurry we might be able to get there before the sun sets." Duncan said as he began to walk back towards the road that led into the heart of Skyrim. When they reach the massive gates to the city they were stopped by the guards who took a long glance at both of them and said "Halt! The city is closed with the dragons about. Official business only." At this news Katlyn furrowed her brow at the word "dragons" and said "We bring word from Riverwood, they request the Jarl's aid." The guard narrowed his eyes at Duncan and said "Fine but keep your nose clean while your here." Katlyn had never seen a more bustling city, she had visited Bruma on several occasions but most of the time she was with her father at their farm. As soon as they entered they saw a smithy where a typical nord in imperial armor was trying to cement a business deal with the imperial blacksmith to provide swords for the legion. The blacksmith however claimed that she could not fill an order of that size in the amount of time she was given and told the man to take it up with a man by the name of Euorland Graymane who judging from the conversation was the towns other blacksmith and a strong supporter of the rebellion much to the disgust of the man who according to Duncan belonged to the Battleborn family. "The Graymanes and Battleborns are two of the oldest families in Whiterun. They used to be friends but the war has caused a rift to form between the families. On a side note the patriarch of the Battleborns is in the guilds pocket and owes me a personal favor for rescuing his friend." Duncan said as they passed by the smith. The market square seemed to be closing up for the evening so Katlyn could only imagine how busy it would get in the daytime. Near the center of town was this old tree that looked to have been struck by lighting, however that paled in significance as the castle of Dragonsreach towered over the rest of the town. When they entered the castle any feeling of cold that Katlyn had was banished by the large hearth that sat blazing in the center of the large hall. The hall itself was paneled in wood which gave it a more natural feel than the cold stones of Bruma castle ever did. The designs and decorations were classy and practical which spoke a lot about the man that made this hall his home. According to Duncan the Jarl of this hold was Blagruuf the Greater an honest man who by all accounts ruled his people justly and has opted to stay out of the war that's plaguing the rest of Skyrim, however both Tullius and Ulfric were at his door step and whatever choice he makes will dramatically upset the balance of this war. When Katlyn and Duncan approached the end of the large hall where the throne sat they were greeted by a surly Dark Elf woman who unsheathed her sword at their approach. In response to this Duncan's swords were out of their sheaths as the two eyed each other in looks that said "go ahead and try." The tension that filled the room was palpable but it was the Dark Elf who broke the silence "What is the meaning of this? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors." Katlyn cleared her throat and said "Riverwood calls for the Jarls aid. A dragon has burned down Helgen and Riverwood is defenseless." The hosecarl's eyes widened at the mention of Helgen. "You were at Helgen? The Jarl will want to speak to you personally." she said as she sheathed her sword as Duncan hesitantly did the same. Katlyn approached the throne where a man was comfortable reclining in a way that made it look that he was a confident ruler who had been ruling for a long time. His blonde hair was braided down the sides of his head and his hair was held up by a crown of gold and rubies. The mans face was weathered but had a certain rustic charm to it and his eyes showed a man who had been through the fires of war and hardship. The rest of his body was strong and muscular and it seemed that he would rather be up doing things but was held their by duties invisible chains. The Jarl spoke with a rough voice but their was compassion in it too "You were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?" His question seemed directed at Katlyn rather than Duncan who's eyes seemed to stare into the souls of everyone present as if judging them. "Yes." Katlyn spoke with a nervousness that she never intended to show. "The dragon destroyed Helgen and the last time I saw it the beast was flying this way." At the final statement the Jarl's eyes were wide with a look of horror "By the gods Irileth was right!" he turned to the man who was presumably his steward "What say you now Proventus? Should we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?" Irileth spoke up before the steward could speak "My Jarl we should send a detachment to Riverwood at once. It is in the most immediate danger." The imperial steward tried to protest but he was cut short by the Jarl shout "Enough! I will not stand by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! Irileth send a detachment at once." The dark elf housecarl nodded and left for the garrison. The steward bowed and left as well to carryout his duties. Katlyn and Duncan was left alone with the Jarl whose features softened as he looked at Katlyn "Well done you sought me out of your own initiative, so please accept a token of my esteem." he motioned to a guard who then left the room and returned shortly after with a fine steel blade that had a fire enchantment on as Katlyn held the blade she noticed it was warm to the touch, probably an effect of the enchantment she assumed. "What do you two plan to do now?" the Jarl asked inquisitively. Katlyn thought for a moment and said "We were invited to join the Companions so I was going to go see if they would let us into their ranks and teach me more about fighting." The Jarl nodded approvingly and looked expectantly at Duncan who just gave a shrug in response but Katlyn could see it in his eyes. Even though they had known each other for a short time Katlyn felt like she was beginning to understand the man and right now she could tell that he was torn between two decisions. _Is he deciding if he wants to keep traveling with me? Why? He has no obligation to me and should have left me at Riverwood._ With the promise that the Jarl would send word if he had need of them they left the keep and went to the inn figuring that it would be better to wait till morning to see the Companions.


End file.
